The Damage Done

Reviewed by Jennifer Walton

The vibe is taut relationship drama. 

The Damage Done is the third play in a series by George F. Walker, but you don’t need to have seen the previous two to understand where this story picks up.

Bobby (Adam Lemieux) is a man-boy who has never grown up and faced the responsibility of fatherhood and is always on the lookout for a way to scam the system. Tina (Rebecca Durance Hine) is filled with anger and hurt that is so taut, she may just break apart. They’ve known each other since kindergarten, married at 18, had two children and divorced. In the meantime, they’ve had other relationships, and Tina has had another failed marriage since she left Bobby. And yet they share a deep bond. No matter how much time goes by, they know each other. But now? Tina really needs Bobby to step up, and it’s debatable whether he can overcome the damage and finally be there for Tina. 

The talented Matthew Willson directs this two-hander sure-handedly. Willson uses a swingset at the park to create intimacy, tension, humour, and maybe just a ray of hope for these two damaged souls. He incorporates the entirety of the theatre that places us, the audience, in Bobby and Tina’s world. Durance Hine and Lemieux are simply stellar.

From the first to the last moment, there is not one false note. One moment bossy, the next fragile, then spitting mad, Durance Hine plays Tina with such layered visceral complexity, we ache for her and we hope for her. Lemieux plays Bobby with an affable ne’er-do-well charm that has us hoping he will do better, but somehow we know he probably can’t. 

The Damage Done is a heavy-hitting play that is beautifully acted and directed - I highly recommend putting it on your don’t miss list.

Event Details

Age Suitability: Mature (ages 18+)

Genre: Theatre—Drama

Run Time: 90 mins

Playwright

George F. Walker

Director

Matthew Willson

Warnings

Coarse Language, Other

Domestic violence, discussion of suicide, discussion of sex, discussion of drug use